"It was difficult for us to travel and find accommodations in Orono, Maine," Ciollo said. "It's the first time we've gone to this meet, and the competition was just as good and easy to get to."
Ciollo said he was not overly impressed with the surroundings, however.
"Queens is definitely not one of the most famous boroughs," he said. "Except for L.L. Cool J, they don't have much there."
Digs on Queens aside, the weekend was fairly successful.
"A few of our star athletes were able to perform very well, but people showed they're still not in peaking form," Ciollo said. "People's best performances have yet to come, and next weekend [at IC4A Championships] is a good opportunity to do our best against best in East."
Of the five women who traveled to Tufts, freshman Carrie McGraw led the way. McGraw finished first in the 400-hurdles and ran her best time of the season.
"I guess it was a good race because I got to run really relaxed since I was pretty much out in front," said McGraw, who ran a 61.37. "It was also bad that I wasn't pushed."
"I'm really happy, though, because this season has been kind of tough. I was coming into a new program, and everything so different. I finally feel I'm adjusted," she added.
Sophomore Marna Schutte ran what she termed a "respectable" 56.4 to take second in the 400-meter, and senior Lee Shearer was a spot behind at 56.8 seconds.
"We did pretty well and there were some solid performances," Schutte said. "Some people are going on to ECACs, but for most, it's the end of season for a little while as we do finals. It was good to run against people outside the Ivy League and good to see that we compared well to other schools in New England."
Senior Caroline Johnston finished fifth in the discus. She was seeded No. 1 entering the meet.
Co-captain Heather Hanson, who has been troubled by a recurring hamstring injury, finished eighth in the 100-meter.
The women who don't have to cope with finals will compete at ECAC Championships next weekend, held at George Mason University along with IC4As.
Fairfax, Va., isn't as convenient Queens or Medford, but at least it isn't Orono.